by Alexie Aaron
Jonas moved towards her. He reached his good hand out and caressed her cheek from behind.
The woman startled, letting out a small scream. She turned around and questioned, “Joel Lund? Is that you?”
Jonas nodded, and the woman smiled. She got up off the sofa and walked over to Jonas. She swayed as she walked, the music and alcohol taking control of her limbs. “What a nice surprise, a nice boy like you? Would you like to dance with me?”
Jonas nodded and took her hand with his good one and curled his claw around her waist. He pulled her to him tightly.
She pushed away saying, “Not so fast.”
Jonas refused to let go and ground his pelvis into hers.
The woman’s face showed alarm and she twisted away. Jonas’s claw hand got caught up in her dress and tore it. She pushed him and screamed, running from the room.
“Female entity leaving rooming house,” Mia reported, keeping an eye on Jonas.
He was upset. His desire was not sated, but he knew he wasn’t wanted. He slunk away out of the room and down the back stairs.
“Jonas leaving by the back stairs,” Mia reported as she and Murphy followed him.
The deformed twin moved in the shadows and crossed the street. Mia was aware of a crowd forming in front of the rooming house. “Activity in front of the rooming house,” she called in. “I’m following Jonas.”
He moved quickly in a sidling way. Mia ran her knee into a few gravestones before she exited the graveyard. Jonas took her the way Mike had the night before. Moving behind the houses in the shadows where the gas lights didn’t reach. She followed him to the house where he entered by the backdoor. She waited, and soon a light shone from the attic windows.
Mia decided to go back and join the group. As she turned to go she heard an odd noise in the yard. It sounded like rusted metal hinges being forced. There was a slam of metal hitting metal. Mia called out, “Is anyone there?”
The noise stopped. Mia approached slowly. She was nearing the ring of witch hazel shrubs and the well. Suddenly a strong arm went around her waist, and she was cuffed on the side of the face. Fingers pried at her ear, tearing the m-com out. She kicked at her assailant. Mia was hit again, hard enough to make her too dizzy to fight. Her gun was pulled from her pants. Her PEEPs hoodie was roughly pulled off. Hands grabbed at her breasts, and she screamed in protest. Her pack was ripped off and flung towards the well. It bounced and then fell. A faint splash was all she heard before something was pulled over her head, and she was hit again. This time the blackness could not be fought. Mia passed out.
Chapter Twelve
“Mia’s off com,” Ted reported after trying in vain to get ahold of her.
“Maybe the girl’s gone to the john,” Glenda suggested. “Give her a minute, she’ll be back on.”
Ted nodded but communicated the anomaly to Burt and Mike.
They were filming the mass of blue entities that had congregated outside of the rooming house. Burt adjusted his camera and saw the faint images of angry men questioning a woman with a torn dress. He saw the repeat of last night’s performance before moving on into the graveyard.
Mia woke to darkness, her arms and ankles were bound. She was lying on the cold ground. “What, what’s going on?” she said to the darkness. She struggled to a sitting position and was about to stand when a hand clamped on to her shoulder.
“Sit, witch!” The voice was harsh but familiar.
“I don’t understand. Why am I tied up? What did I do to you?” she asked. “Where am I? Murphy!” Mia called and didn’t receive an answer. She panicked.
“Shut the fuck up!”
“Please, there must be a mistake.”
“Your mistake. Coming here with your witch ways. Messing in my private business.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You should have left the well alone. Weren’t none of your business.”
Mia was confused. First, no Murphy. Second, was this a paranormal entity or a corporal being that was hurting her. “I wanted to put Jonas to rest.”
“Who the fuck is Jonas?”
“Tell me what I need to do for you to let me go?” Mia pleaded.
“Oh you’re not going anywhere, Mrs. Dupree.”
Mia was about to confess to not being Mike’s wife, but who would assume she was? She didn’t imagine anyone at the hospital would be in Lund in the night torturing her. “George Albert! What did I do to you?”
The bag was ripped off her head. Her eyes adjusted. “There weren’t no reason for you to be fooling around with this here well. You know things you shouldn’t. You have to die,” George said and picked her up and dragged her to the well. Mia twisted and fought but he had her at the edge. If he dropped her in, she would certainly die. Just the skull crushing hits her head would make on the way down would kill her long before she sunk into the icy depths of the underground river. She suspected that was where Murphy was. The axe head was underwater. Ghosts didn’t do too well when their power was immersed in water.
“Before you kill me, you owe me an explanation,” Mia pleaded.
“First, you tell me why you were going spelunking in the well anyway?”
“I wanted to retrieve Jonas Lund’s bones. He needed to be buried next to his brother Joel. They’ve been haunting the big house for years. I wanted to lay them to rest.” Mia stealthily moved her hand, disjointing her wrist temporarily to slide it away from the ropes.
“I don’t know anything about no Jonas and no Joel.”
“Then why are you doing this?” Mia asked, working her other hand loose. “If you are going to kill me, then what’s the harm in telling me?”
“It gets lonely out here. I pick up these tarts from the city and bring em here. I use the house next door. I use them, oh we have some fun, we do. And then when they complain or aren’t of anymore use, I chuck them down the well.”
Mia shuddered. “How many?” she asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper.
“Don’t know, a dozen or so over the years. Now I’d like to play with you too, but I gots no time.”
“How are you going to explain my absence?”
“I’ll write a note after I steal them books and take off in your truck. Mike and Glenda won’t look for you once they know what a little thief you are.”
“How did you know about the books?”
“I heard the old woman talking about them before she started crooning. Man, the old gal’s not right in the noggin.”
~
“Burt, Mike, I’m worried. Mia’s been off com for a long time. I’m going to look for her. Beth can manage the console,” Ted took off the headset, and Beth put it on. He didn’t wait for permission but launched himself out of the truck and took off through the graveyard. Mike handed Burt his equipment and ran after Ted. Burt watched as the two disappeared into the night.
~
George Albert moved to lift Mia over the well. She fought him with her unbound hands, but he was too strong for her. She twisted and kicked, but he had her positioned over the well head. He let her go saying, “Die bitch.”
Mia fell straight down. She used her arms to keep her from pivoting around and cracking her skull. She hit the water. It felt like she hit pavement. Her body convulsed as the cold water started to shut down her nervous system. She felt something go around her waist just before the water filled her lungs. Her head was now above water and she was breathing foul air, but she was still breathing. Something moved her towards a ledge. It moved out of the water and pulled her with it. She couldn’t see anything but sensed her rescuer was not corporal. “Jonas,” she said weakly.
“Don’t let them find me,” he hissed.
“They are long gone,” Mia said and gently took hold of the clawed hand and eased it from her waist. “They took Joel. He didn’t want you found. He is waiting for you,” Mia assured him. Mia heard crying. “What’s that?”
“The mermaids. They cry all the time. They can’t get out like I can. I
’m a crab man. I can climb,” he boasted.
Mia shivered violently.
“Are you going to die?”
“Probably.”
“Are you going to become a mermaid and cry all the time?”
“Never. I don’t much like the water. Have you seen a sack? George Albert dropped it down not long ago.”
“A big splash. Yes, it’s on the bottom. Want me to get it?”
Mia brightened up, “Can you? It would make me so happy.”
Mia felt the entity leave and heard a small splash as he entered the water. She convulsed again and peed herself. The warmth of her body fluids temporarily eased the hypothermia. Everything ached. She knew she was going to die this time. She tried not to cry, she didn’t want to be another mermaid. She heard a scraping sound as Jonas left the water.
“I have it. What is it?”
“Open it, it’s an axe head. It belongs to Stephen Murphy. He will keep you company. He doesn’t cry. He’s my best friend,” Mia said just before she slipped into oblivion.
Jonas looked down at the dead woman and then at the axe-wielding farmer that appeared at her side. The farmer knelt down quickly. He took his hand and stuck it through her chest and squeezed. Her body jerked before she curled into a ball, trying to keep warm. The man then looked at him and said, “I’ll go for help. You watch over her,” and disappeared.
Chapter Thirteen
Ted’s long legs initially put distance between he and Mike. But Mike had traveled this path before. Soon the two were side by side heading for the house.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Murphy’s axe sounded. Ted headed towards the sound and found George Albert shifting the cover on the well. He was bent over with the padlock in his hand.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Murphy kept up the axe as if he was trying desperately to break through his world into this one.
“What are you doing? Where’s Mia?” Ted called out to George.
“I’m just locking this up. Some fool kids have been messing around with it.”
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Mike snuck up behind George and pulled him away from the well before he could latch the old padlock.
“You’re too late,” George sneered at him. “Your bride is dead. I tossed her in the well with the other whores.”
CRACK!
George doubled over as if he’d been punched.
Ted opened the well hatch and called, “Mia!” His words echoed off the walls. He heard crying and assumed it was she. “Hold on, I’m coming.”
“Beth, this is Ted, George Albert has tossed Mia down the well. Get some help. You’ll have to drive north out of town to get any cell reception. Hurry. I fear the worse.”
“Burt, this is Beth. Mia is in trouble. I’m going for help. Get your ass to the house and help. Glenda says there are coils of rope just inside the pump house door.”
“What happened?”
“She’s been tossed down the old well. George Albert has tried to kill her,” Beth shouted the information as she ran out of the back of the truck.
Glenda barely made it out of the back when Beth brought the sliding door down. “You go! I’ll find my own way back!” she told Beth. Glenda started for the house. She increased her gate until she was almost running. She had to get to the house, get blankets and get the hot water running in the big tub.
Burt communicated the information about the rope to Mike before Beth and the command console went out of range. Mike dragged the heavy rope behind him as he ran back to Ted. He had the foresight to grab the two lanterns that hung on the pump house walls. He lit one and tied it to the rope as he ran.
Ted had the cover completely off by the time Mike arrived. He used the light to acknowledge the iron bar that was secured into the stone and mortar of the rim. As Mike lowered the rope Ted watched for the end to come up, and he quickly tied it to the iron bar.
George Albert struggled to his feet.
CRACK!
He was knocked backwards and lay helpless on the ground.
Mike looked over at him and asked Ted, “Should I tie him up or something?”
“I think Murphy’s got him covered.” Ted meted out the rope and felt a change in the feel of the swinging lantern. It was like it was being pulled. It stopped. Ted leaned over and only could see a faint glow. “I think I’ve hit bottom. How much do you weigh?”
“195, you?”
“175, do you think you can hold me? I’m going down.”
“I don’t honestly know…”
“I can hold you, Ted,” Burt’s voice panted from out of the darkness. “Between Mike and me, we’ll hold you. Bring her up, no matter what you find down there, bring her up.”
Mike tossed Ted his leather gloves and positioned himself just in front of Burt. Together they bore Ted’s weight as he climbed down the rope into the well.
Glenda ran up with the blankets. She peered over the edge. “He’s halfway down,” she reported.
Mike looked over at Burt and saw the glaze of tears in his eyes. “Do you think she survived?”
Burt shook his head, “Eighty feet. If she didn’t break her head open on the way down, maybe, but the water is cold and time is running out.”
Glenda twisted her hands. “He’s on the bottom,” she reported.
Ted stretched over and put his foot on the stone ledge. There curled in a ball lying on a pile of bones was Mia, she had the pack with Murphy’s axe head clutched to her chest. He knelt down and put his hand on her icy neck. He felt a pulse. He quickly took off her wet clothes and replaced them with his. “She’s alive, unconscious but alive. Give me some slack,” he called. While he waited he put the backpack on. A few lengths of rope fell down. He fashioned a sling harness and pulled it over himself. He next picked up Mia and cradled her between his body and the rope.
“PULL!” He called and said a prayer as the rope went taut. “PULL!” he called again, and he started to rise.
Burt and Mike used their combined strength and body weight to pull the tech holding Mia upwards. Glenda shouted instructions and gave them a heads up when Ted was nearing the rim. Burt nodded to Mike that he could hold them and watched as he ran over and grabbed Mia as Ted’s head came into view. Mike was astounded at the half naked Ted and what he had accomplished. He waited until Ted crawled out of the well. Ted got to his feet and stood there naked except for his boots and Batman boxer shorts. Glenda tossed Ted a blanket, and the dude wore it like a cape. No one had to say it, Ted was Batman.
Mike took off running with Mia towards the house. Glenda was two steps ahead of him, leading him to the bathroom and the warm bath.
Burt took off his coat and gave it to Ted. Between the two of them they managed to get George Albert to his feet. Burt reached down and grabbed Mia’s shotgun and held it to the farmer’s back as they walked to the house.
Mia sensed she was floating, but this time the water was warm. A gentle hand poured water over her shoulders that were being held by older arthritic ones. Pin pricks of feeling started in her extremities. Pain soon followed.
“Her face, that bastard beat her,” Mike growled. “How does this happen? What makes a monster like that?” he asked his mother.
“I don’t know, dear. Go downstairs and send Beth up when she gets back. Us girls can…”
“No!” Mike was firm with his mother. “I can lift her. Dress her and take care of her. She’s in this state because she gave a damn about me. I’m not leaving her.”
“Son, it’s just not seemly. Her state of undress and all,” Glenda explained.
“If you’re worried about the EMTs then don’t. Everyone thinks she’s my wife.”
Mia giggled as she tried to open her eyes. “Hello husband, how the heck did I get here?”
“She’s been knocked silly,” Glenda lamented.
“No, ma, this is how she always is.” Mike leaned over the tub and tilted Mia’s head up gently. “Hello you, nice to have you back. You’re in a wor
ld of hurt so don’t be thrashing around.”
“I’m cold, Mikey. Jonas saved me from the water. Then he rescued Murphy. Then I died.”
“You didn’t die, honey. When Ted found you, you had a pulse.”
“Ted found me? Oh crap. He knows I peed myself then.”
“Honey, we all know you peed yourself now,” Mike said and felt some tension leave his body.
“I think we can get her out of the tub and into some clothes,” Glenda said. “Here, you hold her up so she doesn’t drown, and I’ll get her some clothes.” Mike exchanged places with his mother.
It took her two tries to get to her feet, but Glenda managed. She walked to the door and was surprised to find Ted standing there with clothes for Mia.
“You’d never find anything in her room. She’s kind of a slob.”
“Have you been standing here long?”
“Yes, ma’am, listening in too.”
“You did a courageous thing, saved her life. Your mother will be proud. Give me a moment to get her dressed, then you can come in. And find that Murphy. She’s going to want to see him too.”
“He’s here. Been scratching at the wood for a while now,” Ted explained.
“I’ll be right back.” Glenda closed the door. She laid several towels on the floor and nodded to Mike who scooped Mia up and laid her on the floor. Gently they padded her dry and pulled the loose clothing over her body. Glenda looked at the oversized clothing oddly. She looked at Mike. “What’s this?
He smiled and explained, “It’s Ted’s. The guy’s smart. He knew her stuff wouldn’t fit as her body is swelling fast from the contusions of the fall.
Glenda opened up the door and let Ted in. She went down the stairs and headed into the kitchen to brew some strong coffee.
Burt came in the front door where he’d been waiting for the police and emergency vehicles.
Glenda asked, “Where’d you put that son of a bitch?”